The Alone Date :)

I cannot express how thankful I was that my mother and grandma in-laws came down on Thursday to join us for lunch and then offered to watch the babe so we could get out for some time alone. Whenever family comes down to visit us, we somehow end up eating at Rosa's, which is really good food, however I don't believe it showcases all the town has to offer. So I suggested a place with a variety of Mediterranean cuisine that I thought everyone would like. And everybody did like it, except for my finicky little eater. But he was good and did not complain after the food came out.

After we got back from lunch, the two of us took off to do some wine tasting. Even after living here for 2 years, this was our first time wine tasting. Lucky for us, the sommeliere was very helpful in suggesting things we would like. We were surprised that with our 2-for-1 deal we ended up paying only $12 for a nice time and good drinks! I was also a little surprised that we did not get carded. I guess my new hair-do DOES make me look old. This was definitely fresh for us since we really don't drink much or know anything about good quality of drinks. One thing I learned is that the little goodies in the baskets are not after dinner mints or toasted marshmallows; they really taste more like cork.We had gotten to the winery only a little over an hour before they closed for the evening. I started feeling tipsy at the beginning of my second taste. Really, I'm a lightweight! So we took our third and fourth tastes out for a little walk around the property and were debating getting the last one, but decided against it since this guy was driving and I probably wouldn't be able to stay standing.

I guess one time, we'll have to stop by again for that one last taste! We won't mind though because we had a fantastic time. We also stopped by and visited my friend Amanda. Her family has a great house and property in wine country, which is all of 2 minutes away from our house. I may or may not have compared her puppy to our son.... All I meant is that he was really cute!! This was definitely a great and memorable day and makes me SO excited for our next fresh date.

Half Date

I'm not sure whether or not to qualify this as a date, but since there's no rules and I'm the one doing the counting, it'll work. This was a surprise luncheon for my best new friend, Lisa. Luckily, Zak was able to join Elijah and I on our first family trip to the wineries, but then he had to go straight to work.

We got there a little early and mingled with the family while we waited for the girls to arrive. The courtyard, outdoor area, and overall ambiance at Thornton Winery was fantastic. My boys had a great time enjoying the view.

We were a little pressed for time since we only took one car and Zak was heading off to work. The staff did a great job of getting our order in and out within no time! And the food was delicious. Well worth the trip. My only regret is that we weren't able to have wine on this trip, but we were so glad we got to spend the afternoon with our wonderful friends in this beautiful spot!

Date: The First

This was a day I was feeling down, as in sick, but also wanted some Chinese. It was also the first day I told my love that I wanted to blog our dates! He surprised me and said that he found a cool place in his work area that he thought looked really interesting and he'd like to take me there.

So off we went. This was a family date as it was last minute and we took the Giggleboogey with us. He didn't tell me where we were going, but this was my first clue when we pulled in the parking lot.

The parking lot was empty and at first we thought they might be closed. But, then we pulled around and there was a car in the side parking lot and the open sign was all lit up. But here's the coolest part of all. This bistro is in a REAL train car. It's whimsical and dreamy, and maybe even a little enchanted.

The waiter was a little mysterious, but I like that when I'm going to a new place. We got Orange Chicken for my man and Kung Pao for me. This was a lot of food!! With the free rice and soup on the house, we were pretty full and I ended up with leftovers for 2 nights. It was also pretty delicious. All in all, I'd say this place(and the date) was a win!

What it's all about...

After a mere year and a half of marriage, followed up with a honeymoon pregnancy and now a rowdy (almost) nine-month old, I realized that the time we have together is precious. As much as we fully enjoy spending time together as our little family unit, sometimes we forget to make time to be alone together and give one another the individual attention we need. This thought developed into an idea to set aside the time each week during the year to just spend quality time together and get out of the rut of doing the same things we always do (usually have dinner at Rosa's, or go to Pala if we're really feeling ballsy!). I'm shooting for 52 dates, but it doesn't sound as catchy as 50, and hopefully we'll just continue it on as a tradition. Some of the ground rules for what qualifies as a "fresh" date are that there really are no rules. Hopefully we'll be able to get a babysitter most of the time, although we do love family dates as well! Maybe they'll be close by our house and we will budget where we can. My goal is to do as many things as we have never done before and try to new things so that we can have new favorite things. We'll see how this goes...